God is our Fortress

Introduction

The times in which we now live challenge the very core of our existence.

There is not a single structure of contemporary civilization that has escaped the crucial tests of today’s changing world.

We are challenged by society, but that is not the only challenge.

We are challenged by death, pain, suffering, weather phenomena that destroys and kills, and our own frailty.

We truly struggle in this world. This place of sin and suffering.

Yet, we can have peace in the turmoil.

We can have joy in times of grief.

We can have comfort in uncomfortable times because of our great God who sets up camp around us and holds us through everything.

We see this is the text we will examine today.

The central theme of Psalm 46 is that God remains as our source of strength even in bad times.

Bad times surround us. Bad times seem to be all there are anymore.

Every time we turn on the TV we are bombarded with evil and wickedness.

But that is the things that are distant from us.

The things close like money falling short time and time again.

Health failing, appliances busting, cars breaking down, children being led astray, children who have wandered away, and loss of loved ones and friends all are bad times.

What do we do? Where do we turn?

We turn to our savior. We turn to our only source of strength and let Him guard and shelter us. We let him secure us and calm us. We trust His refuge over anything else.

Psalm 46 ESV

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

What comfort. What peace this Psalm gives.

Martin Luther wrote a hymn from this psalm called “A Mighty Fortress is our God.”

It is said that when Luther would become depressed and discouraged he would turn to a close friend and say let us sing the forty-sixth psalm.

They would sing it the way Luther wrote it which is

A sure stronghold our God is He,

A timely shield and weapon;

Our help he’ll be and set us free

From every ill can happen. (Boice, Psalms 42–106, 388.)

One commentator stated of this psalm that “Few psalms breathe the spirit of sturdy confidence in the Lord in the midst of very real dangers as strongly as does this one” (H. C. Leupold, Exposition of the Psalms (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1959), 363.)

God is our stronghold and shield. He is the one who will help us in all situations. He is our life, our breath, our song.

He is the one who will carry you and me through any ill happening and deliver us perfectly to Himself.

Rest in that and know that

God is a Securing God

Look at verses 1-4.

God is our refuge. He is our strength.

He is our help, very present help-highest degree, meaning He is always there.

Even when the whole earth gives way and everything falls apart around us, we have no need to fear because He is with us and we can be glad through Him.

When an earthquake happens you are told to seek shelter under a sturdy table and hold on.

In a tornado we are to find a central room if you do not have a cellar and cover yourself with a mattress.

In each situation we are to use a created object to protect ourselves.

The same is with an intruder in your home. You are free to use an object to render harm to those trying to harm you.

But again each of these point to us using a created object.

This is one reason why we try to turn to created objects during times of trouble.

We will turn to friends, family, or drink and drug.

We seek shelter and security from something and sometimes all we know are created things to find this security in.

But, this psalm emphatically places God as the object we must place our trust and security in.

He is the one who will guard and keep us. He, and nothing else, is our refuge in all evils and struggles.

A table can buckle and be a platform for weight to crush you in an earthquake.

A cellar can become blocked and flood becoming your tomb in a tornado.

A weapon of defense can be taken from you and used on you by an intruder.

God will never crush you, entomb you, or turn on you.

He is your true security and the only one who can make you truly secure.

Yes, this life will still crush you and weigh you down and bring devastation, but the Lord will sustain you through and deliver you to your security in Him through everything if you just rest in Him.

He is our true security but that is not all. Along with our security...

God is a Protecting God

God is in the midst and nothing will move Him.

Nations rage and kingdoms totter but God never does.

When He speaks the earth melts He is our fortress.

His works are beyond compare and He has brought and can again bring desolations on the earth.

An aspect of God being in our midst, as we have today through the Holy Spirit in us, and when we rest in that fully, nothing can shake us or move us because we have God in us.

The night was a fearful time in the ancient times. It was dark and no lights were used hardly because of the cost of oil.

It was dark and dangerous in the night.

We face the same anxiety, just in other ways.

We go through darkness and nights of struggle and pain.

When the morning dawns we see new hope and rescue because it is a new day.

Also, we do because we know we have God with us.

He is our rescue and refuge and hope in all things.

Other people and situations may still rage and could cause grief, but with our all-powerful God, we have no reason to fear.

He is so powerful that the earth can melt at His words.

He speaks and it is gone. It is a vapor drifting upward.

What we can take from all this is that when the world around us is aflame and full of evil wickedness, we are surrounded by our mighty God.

Yes, there is fire out there.

Yes, there is evil out there.

Yes, wickedness is accelerating at an alarming pace.

But God is with us. God is surrounding us.

God is sheltering us.

He will bring desolations to the earth again and bring judgment on all the evil and wicked actions and people.

Rest in His fortress and know that even when death comes for you, as it surely will, you have the Lord and He has you.

Elisabeth Elliot spoke these words after the death of her first husband by the hands of those he was on mission to and the slow death from cancer of her second husband.

She said,

“Everything that has seemed most dependable has given way. Mountains are falling, earth is receding. In such a time it is a profound comfort to know that although all things seem shaken, one thing is not: God is not shaken.”

This is the same attitude you can have in any situation when you have the all-powerful God surrounding you.

Pain and suffering will come because we are in a fallen world.

We are consumed by sin and depravity and this brings death and hardship.

When we rest in the surrounding comfort and protection of our amazing creator God, we can be calm and cool in every situation.

Let Him comfort you and guide you through life.

He does this because...

God is a Calming God

He makes wars cease. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots.

This is why you can be still. You do not need to fight the wars.

You do not need to wage battle against the evils and hardships that life throws at you.

You can rest in God because He is the one who is exalted above all things and everything in the creation will submit to Him.

He is our fortress.

This last verse is identical to verse 7 for a reason.

I believe it is here to reassure you that your fortress is not one of creation but the one who created.

We see that we have the greatest protection of all with our God.

He is powerful and complete because He makes all wars cease. He destroys every weapon.

This does not mean He is a peace negotiator. No, it means He is the conqueror of all.

It means that nothing can stop Him and He will completely vanquish all enemies.

We see this theme coming to fruition with Jesus Christ.

Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave with His death burial and resurrection.

Yes, the sting of death is still upon us because sin still plagues this world.

When the fullness of times comes, and Jesus calls the church home, and the judgments come, then we will be in complete victory over death and suffering.

We will no longer be in this wicked and twisted world because God has made all wars cease and broken every weapon that is used against us.

Although this has not happened yet, we can still have calmness through our great God.

We can because we know that this war ceasing God is ours and nothing can defeat Him.

We may get defeated and down at times, but God is never and never will be defeated.

He is the one true ruler of everything and as such we can have a calmness about us when all is wrong and painful.

We can be like these two Army Ranger medics,

On a hot summer night in Wardak province, Afghanistan, in 2019 a special operations U.S. Army Ranger raid force began an assault on a compound with enemy targets.

As enemy fighters fired back at U.S. forces and the Rangers began to close in on a target, there was a huge explosion, injuring three Rangers. Amidst rounds of machine gun fire, rockets and grenades, two Ranger combat medics, Army Staff Sgt. Charles Bowen and Army Sgt. Ty Able, leapt into action to save six American lives that night.

Pulling the critically wounded behind cover from enemy fire, Bowen and Able quickly began performing advanced surgical techniques and providing Rangers with blood infusions with supplies they had on hand.

While the medics stabilized some of the injured, unfortunately, two of the injured Rangers were losing blood, and fast. Unfortunately, Bowen and Able had already utilized all of their blood units for other injured service members. Knowing that this was a life-or-death matter, the two medics decided to attempt the Ranger O-Low (ROLO) Titre protocol, in which a volunteer transfers his or her blood to the injured Ranger on the battlefield, with the assistance and equipment from the medics. The procedure at the time was relatively new and had never been done in the middle of combat, but Bowen, Able and a volunteer blood donor were able to pull it off.

As enemy fire continued to rage overhead, the three worked quickly to transfer large quantities of blood from their volunteer to two injured Rangers, effectively saving their lives. Throughout the procedure and other life-saving techniques, the two medics also continually shielded their patients with their own bodies to prevent further injuries from enemy fire.

As the wounded were loaded onto a helicopter for evacuation, Able kept up a steady attack against the enemy, to provide them with cover.

Bowen and Able treated a fatal hemorrhage, triaged two additional casualties and tended to several other injuries that night. Their calm demeanors under pressure, as they worked to save the lives of their fellow soldiers while under fire, demonstrates incredible dedication and valor.

These men showed extreme calmness in the face of extreme danger that many would not do.

This is the same calmness we can show in the face of strife and pain.

We can remain calm and at peace when the rockets and grenades and bullets of life continue to fly around us because of our all-powerful fortress God.

Conclusion

Our God is a securing, protecting, and calming God to all who focus on Him and take refuge in Him.

If we seek that refuge and comfort elsewhere we will not have this calmness and peace and comfort.

When our worlds fall apart we will have nothing to cling to if we are looking to the world to give us comfort.

As Luther’s hymn also sings,

And though this world, with devils filled,

should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed

his truth to triumph through us.…

His kingdom is forever (Richard D. Phillips, Psalms 42–72, Reformed Expository Commentary, 43).

His kingdom is forever, this world is but a brief moment in time.

His power is over all, this world is only brief and weak.

When you find yourself struggling with calm, peace, rest, or comfort this week, remember that our God is our fortress and as our fortress He has us surrounded and covered.

Remember that all these wars and powers will cease and be in desolation because our God will end all wars and pain.

He is the restoring and life giving protecting God who loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you so you can live forever with Him.

Remember God is our source of strength even in bad times.

Nothing is too much or too little for Him. He can handle it all and will handle it all for you when you give it to Him and quit trying to carry burdens and fight battles you were never meant to carry or fight.

Trust Him and He will be your security, protection, and calmness.